At this reply Lady Aimwell was struck with tenfold astonishment. And we will here do her ladyship the justice to acknowledge, that whatever might be the spirit of her endeavours, they were certainly directed with a view to the young lady’s good. For Lady Aimwell, though not the brightest woman in the world, could easily see that a negociation of this kind was not very likely to terminate in making Miss Glossop a countess. Therefore, when this acknowledgment had been thus extorted from the young lady, her more sagacious relative replied with a very natural expression of astonishment, mingled also with an indication of pity and a slight tincture of contempt: “Surely, Miss Glossop, you will not suffer yourself to be led away by such idle and foolish stories! Do you, can you for a moment, imagine that if Lord Spoonbill had any serious and honorable intentions, he would send messages to you by a third person. I must insist upon it that you will not give Colonel Crop any farther encouragement to talk such nonsense. What would your father say to us if he knew that such folly, such wickedness I may say, was encouraged under our roof?” Lady Aimwell’s intention was good, but it was not duly appreciated by the young lady in whose behalf it was manifested. And, instead of gratefully acknowledging her ladyship’s kindness, and humbly promising to follow her ladyship’s good advice, Miss Glossop, with a most arrogant air, rejected the good counsel and said, “I think I know how to govern myself without your ladyship’s assistance. You make pretty pretensions enough to what you say is all for my good. The plain fact is, you are merely mortified at my good fortune.” There was something so outrageously insulting in this last speech, that Lady Aimwell was absolutely unable to make an immediate reply, and the contending parties looked at each other for a few moments in perfect silence, and with flushed and angry countenances. Lady Aimwell after a while, as soon as she could recover from her overwhelming astonishment, replied, “Very pretty language, Miss Glossop; very grateful and respectful, indeed! However, I will take care that I shall not be so insulted again; and perhaps if I cannot persuade you, I may find some one who can.”